Elderly woman taken to hospital with burns from fire in Old Lyme

Old Lyme — An elderly resident who sustained burns during a house fire on Lyme Street Saturday evening was taken to a hospital by Life Star helicopter, according to Old Lyme Fire Department spokesman Johny Cody.

The fire was first reported at around 8:25 p.m. at 7 Lyme St., a two-story condominium complex that is part of an association that includes Boxwood Apartments on the same street. The victim, who others at the scene identified as a woman in her mid-90s, lives alone in a first-floor unit, Cody said.

Other residents were attempting to help the woman when firefighters arrived at the scene, he said.

“It’s a stubborn fire,” Cody said.

At about 10 p.m., firefighters broke a window at the front of the structure to give firefighters an extra egress area. At one point earlier, firefighters had been ordered out of the building as officials worried about flare-ups.

“I saw flashing lights and got up to look,” said Donna Spicer, a resident of the Boxwood Apartments. “That’s when we saw the flames.”

Cody said it took about 15 to 20 minutes to put out the flames.

The victim was transported to a landing area at nearby Lyme-Old Lyme High School, where Life Star picked her up. The name of the victim was not released.

The house has four one-bedroom condominium units, though only three are occupied, according to Cody. He didn’t know how many other people were in the building at the time of the fire but said everyone else got out without injuries.

One resident, who asked not to be identified, said at the scene that she had been unaware of the fire until firefighters arrived on the scene and told her to get out.

Cody said only two of the four units were affected by the fire. Both of the units were in the back of the building, where a gaping hole in the roof created by firefighters was still releasing smoke late into the night.

The Old Lyme, Essex, East Lyme, Old Saybrook, Westbrook and Deep River fire departments responded to the blaze. No firefighters were injured.

l.howard@theday.com

Multiple fire departments from around Old Lyme battle a major building fire on Lyme Street in Old Lyme Saturday night.